Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025
In the District of Maryland, the median prison term for the 392 people sentenced for immigration offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 was 7.3 months. That is about the same as the 7 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. In Maryland, 69% were sentenced within the guideline range,
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 › Immigration Offense: District of Maryland
In brief: In the District of Maryland, the median prison term for the 392 people sentenced for immigration offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 was 7.3 months. That is about the same as the 7 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. In Maryland, 69% were sentenced within the guideline range, compared with 62% in all districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 392 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
A Short Median Prison Term
Of the 392 people, 382 (97%) received a prison term, and 7 (2%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 7.3 months. A quarter received 14.9 months or more, and a quarter received 1.4 months or less.
For immigration offenses in all 94 districts, 95% were sent to prison and the median prison term was 7 months. For all offenses in the District of Maryland, the median was 48 months.
Sentences Within the Guideline Range
In all, 269 of 391 people with the information (69%) were sentenced within the guideline range. Another 70 (18%) were below the range at the government's request, and 42 (11%) were below it without a government request. A total of 10 (3%) were above it.
For immigration offenses in all 94 districts, 62% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 31%. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 11 of the 363 people with that information recorded (3%).
What Immigration Cases Include
"Immigration" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, and it is assigned by primary guideline. The most common was §2L1.2 (Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States), with 226 people. Next was §2L2.2 (Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use), with 26.
Then came §2L2.1 (Trafficking in a Document Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status, or a United States Passport), with 13, and §2L1.1 (Smuggling, Transporting, or Harboring an Unlawful Alien), with 6. Immigration cases were 6% of the 6,044 people sentenced in the district.
Guilty Pleas
Of the 392 people, 386 (98%) pleaded guilty, and 6 were convicted after a trial. In all 94 districts, more than 99% of immigration cases ended in a guilty plea. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 95%.
The median prison term was 7.3 months after a guilty plea and 15 months after a trial. The trial figure rests on only 6 people. Among guilty pleas, 82% had a written plea agreement and 16% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Supervised Release and Other Penalties
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 248 people (63%), with a median term of 12 months. A fine was ordered for 5 (1%), and restitution for 2 (less than 1%).
In criminal history, 34% were in the lowest category and 0% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Fewer People in Later Years
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 253 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 139. The yearly table shows 84 people in fiscal year 2018 and 10 in fiscal year 2024. The yearly medians were 5 to 8 months from 2016 to 2021, and 11 to 14 months from 2022 to 2025.
The records cannot show why counts or medians changed. A fiscal year begins in October and ends the following September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 45 | 8 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 55 | 5 months | 98% |
| 2018 | 84 | 7 months | 99% |
| 2019 | 69 | 6 months | 99% |
| 2020 | 53 | 7 months | 98% |
| 2021 | 13 | 5 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 26 | 14 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 16 | 14 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 10 | 11 months | 90% |
| 2025 | 21 | 12 months | 95% |
What the Records Cannot Say
Only people convicted and sentenced are counted. Anyone whose case ended another way is missing, and the terms shown are the ones imposed, not the time served.
Fort Meade, Maryland, and Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, which are not part of this federal court.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Maryland (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Maryland") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Immigration" (392). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Federal supervised release. Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.
Who decides the sentence, and under what rules. Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
How life sentences and "time served" are counted. In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.